Band cutter



1966 R. MCKINLEY EMBLETON 3,230,620

BAND CUTTER Filed June 17, 1965 2| 2| 22 22 FIG. 4

' INVENTOR ROY MC KINLEY EMBLETON 'FIG. 5

ATTO EY United States Patent 3,230,620 BAND CUTTER Roy McKinleyEmbleton, RR. 1, Hannon, Ontario, Canada Filed June 17, 1963, Ser. No.288,103 3 Claims. (Cl. 30-286) The present invention relates, to a tapecutter and it consists in the combinations, constructions andarrangements of parts hereinafter to be described and claimed.

Generally there is provided a hand tool for the cutting of tape as, forexample, surgical tape, bandages, industrial tape and the like. Thedevice consists of a body of metal having novel handle portions aflixedthereto which are formed of Bakelite or the like. A boot portion at theforward end of the body has pivoted thereto an inverted U-shaped guardmember which encompasses a triangular blade mounted in the boot by meansof adjustable screws. The device is such that the forward edge of theblade may be forced beneath a piece of tape to sever the same and theguard will automatically rise during the cutting process and thereafteragain fall into normal position covering the blade. The interior surfaceof the apex portion of the guard member may be provided with a feltliner which may be oiled from time to time to lubricate and help cleanthe blade but may be eliminated for sterile purposes when the device isto be used in connection with surgical tape or bandages.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a device of thecharacter set forth which is simple in construction, inexpensive tomanufacture and yet effective and efficient in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a tape cutter of thecharacter set forth, a novel guard memher for a blade, said guard memberand said blade forming parts of the invention.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a device of thecharacter set forth, novel means for mounting a blade therein.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a device ofthe character set forth, novel means for protecting and lubricating ablade forming a part of the invention.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from areading of the following specification taken in conjunction with thedrawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of anembodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational View illustrating the deviceat the beginning of a cutting operation with respect to a portion oftape likewise shown in said figure,

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but partly in section andillustrating the actual cutting process,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan View of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 5 is a somewhat enlarged end elevational view of the deviceillustrated in FIGURES 1 and 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown therein adevice of the character set forth comprising an elongated bodyextending, as illustrated, in a horizontal direction and having aflixedto each side thereof by means of rivets 11 or the like a pair of handle"ice members 12 which may be of wood, Bakelite or like material.

Integrally formed with the forward end of the body 10 is a downwardlyextending boot 13 having a forwardly extending centrally located slot 14formed therein.

A triangular blade 15 is centrally mounted in the slot 14 by screws 16extending into each side of the boot 13 and bearing upon either side ofthe blade 15 and a screw 17' extending through the rear of the boot 13into the slot 14 and bearing against the rear side of the blade 15, asillustrated in FIGURE 3.

It will be seen that the sharpened edge 17 of the blade 15 extendsangularly forwardly and downwardly and that the forward corner 18 of theblade 15 abuts against a shoulder 19 formed in the forward edge of theslot 14.

A guard member 20 of inverted U-shape is provided with a pair ofupwardly and rearwardly extending ears 21 which are pivotally connectedby means of a pin, rivet or the like 22, to the sides of the boot 13.The inner side of the bight portion of the guard 20 has aflixed thereto,if desired, a felt pad 23.

In operation, it will be seen that the device may be grasped by thehandle 12 and the forward edge of the boot 13 extended beneath a pieceof tape 24 to be severed, as indicated in FIGURE 2 and thereafter forcedthe remainder of the way across said tape to entirely sever the same, asis illustrated in FIGURE 3 and that when such action occurs, the guard20 having an upwardly and forwardly extending forward edge 25, will belifted upwardly as it passes over the tape 24 while the blade edge 17performs its severing operation and that, when such operation iscompleted and the tool removed, the guard 20 will descend to its normalposition whereupon the felt 23 will come to rest upon the sharpened edge17 of the blade 15. Normally the felt pad 23 will be saturated with oilto protect and lubricate the blade and help keep the same clean. When,however, the device is to be used with surgical tape, bandages or thelike, the felt pad 23 may be eliminated or kept in a dry state.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein,it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minormodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tape and bandage cutter for lifting and severing tape and likematerial on an article and comprising; an elongated handle body portion;a dependent generally L-shaped boot formed at the forward end of saidbody; blade supporting means forming the lower portion of said L-shapedboot and oriented along an axis generally parallel with the axis of saidhandle body portion and directed forwardly thereof and defining agenerally flat bearing surface along the exterior lower edge thereof; ablade removably mounted in said boot and supported by said supportingmeans with the edge of said blade directed at an angle relative to theaxis of said handle body portion and oriented with the said angled edgeextending upwardly and rearwardly from said supporting means towardssaid handle body portion; an inverted U-shaped guard pivotally mountedon said boot and encompassing the full length of said blade, and saidboot and blade supporting means and guard raising means on each side ofsaid guard depending downwardly on each side of said boot, said bladesupporting means and below the same and extending downwardly below saidbearing surface for raising thereof upon contact of said bearing surfacewith said article and prior to cutting by said blade.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said guard has afiixed to theunderside thereof a felt mat,

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said boot is provided with ashoulder at the forward end of said slot, wherein screws extend inwardlyfrom each side of said boot to bear against said blade, and wherein ascrew extends through the rear of said boot to bear against the rear ofsaid blade to force the forward end of said blade to abut against saidshoulder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,170,433 2/1916Ellebrecht 30-155 X 1,695,022 12/1928 Rankin 30-314 1,940,270 12/ 1933Rainwater 30-299 2,282,062 5/1942 Jewett 30294 2,389,648 11/1945Stafford 302 X FOREIGN PATENTS 642,219 8/1950 Great Britain. 159,7217/1957 Sweden.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, JAMES L. JONES, JR., Examiners.

1. A TAPE AND BANDABE CUTTER FOR LIFTING AND SEVERING TAPE AND LIKEMATERIAL ON AN ARTICLE AND COMPRISING; AN ELONGATED HANDLE BODY PORTION;A DEPENDENT GENERALLY L-SHAPED BOOT FORMED AT THE FORWARD END OF SAIDBODY; BLADE SUPPORTING MEANS FORMING THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID L-SHAPEDBOOT AND ORIENTED ALONG AN AXIS GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF SAIDHANDLE BODY PORTION AND DIRECTED FORWARDLY THEREOF AND DEFINING AGENERALLY FLAT BEARING SURFACE ALONG THE EXTERIOR LOWER EDGE THEREOF; ABLADE REMOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BOOT AND SUPPORTED BY SAID SUPPORTINGMEANS WITH THE EDGE OF SAID BLADE DIRECTED AT AN ANGLE RELATIVE TO THEAXIS OF SAID HANDLE BODY PORTION AND ORIENTED WITH THE SAID ANGLED EDGEEXTENDING UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM SAID SUPPORTING MEAND TOWARDSSAID HANDLE BODY PORTION; AN INVERTED U-SHAPED GUARD PIVOTALLY MOUNTEDON SAID BOOT AND ENCOMPASSING THE FULL LENGTH OF SAID BLADE, AND SAIDBOOT AND BLADE SUPPORTING MEANS AND GUARD RAISING MEANS ON EACH SIDE OFSAID GUARD DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY ON EACH SIDE OF SAID BOOT, SAID BLADESUPPORTING MEANS AND BELOW THE SAME AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY BELOW SAIDBEARING SURFACE FOR RAISING THEREOF UPON CONTACT OF SAID BEARING SURFACEWITH SAID ARTICLE AND PRIOR TO CUTTING BY SAID BLADE.